The first dish pleaseth all.

The first food served tends to receive a warm reception. People who are ready to eat may be less particular about what arrives first.

The proverb also suggests that early approval does not necessarily show that a dish is exceptional. Being first may give it an advantage that later offerings do not have.

Use it to comment on a meal whose first dish is readily welcomed, or to temper praise for an initial offering when its place in the sequence may help explain the response.